In the Dark
by myhummelberryheart
Summary: Closets and courage. Bit first season AU. Possible Hummelberry relationship.
1. Chapter 1

AN: Prompt was Lips.

* * *

Brittany's party had actually turned out better than Kurt thought it would. He had expected it to fall into chaos. It had started out a Glee club party, but had expanded to included to include the Cheerios and most of the sports teams and a few party crashers. Although there was alcohol present, everyone seemed to behaving themselves, which was a relief. There wouldn't be any police coming in to break up the party, at least he hoped not. He'd hate to be arrested at sixteen and have to call his dad to come get him from behind bars. He looked around. Brittany's family home was very eclectic. The walls and carpet were funky and bright colors, but the furniture was white. He had to admit, the contrast was striking and beautiful in its own way, but only if the cat pictures went away. And there were a_ lot_ of cat pictures.

"Game time!" yelled Brittany. Kurt looked up from where he was talking to Tina and saw the blonde cheerleader standing on top of a desk.

"I have a _great _idea," said Brittany. "I want to play _Seven Minutes in Heaven_."

Most of the party goers groaned.

"What are we like 12?" said Quinn.

Brittany grinned. "Exactly. It's my favorite game!"

"Is she serious?" asked Mercedes beside him.

"I'm afraid so," said Kurt. "Knowing Brittany."

"Ugh, wanna leave?" asked Tina.

"Sure," said Mercedes. "My house isn't too far anyways. Let's go grab some of that strawberry margarita stuff and get out of here."

Tina nodded and they both stood.

"You coming Kurt?"

He shook his head. "Can't. I'm going to have to take Finn home. I think he's had a little too much for his own good."

"That sucks," pouted Tina. Mercedes waved.

"Bye Kurt."

He waved goodbye and was left alone on the couch. He heard Brittany say that any room or closet was up for grabs. He groaned to himself. Which meant the coach would become a prime make out location. Although Brittany's place had an inordinate amount of closets for a house. He looked for Finn and realized that not even Quinn was in sight anymore. So somewhere in the house Quinn and Finn were making out. Such a lovely image. He gagged. People were starting to scatter. Kurt supposed he could go hang out in the kitchen. At least no one would go there.

On second thought maybe they would as he peeked in the door. He even saw the pantry door halfway closed with movement behind it.

There had to be somewhere… He really didn't want to just go and wait in the Escalade. He loved his baby, but not that much. He sighed. This was stupid. He should just go home. He had no reason to be here, except for some stupid notion of step-brotherly/family… something. Kurt didn't want to just randomly make out with someone just for the sake of making out.

It was beginning to quieten down in the house, which meant that everyone was shoving tongues down each other's throats. Maybe there was an empty closet where he could just hide and text with a slightly drunken Mercedes and Tina. He spotted what looked like a small bedroom near the staircase and slid inside. There didn't seem anyone on the bed, but he wasn't about to take any chances. He opened the closet door and sat down on what he thought was probably some sort of storage container.

"Hello?" said a voice. It made Kurt jump. It was becoming from back behind the clothes. He hadn't expected anyone to be in here, especially with it being pitch black. It sounded very small and feminine. There was a girl in the closet with him? Of all things…

"Hi," he said back.

"You… you are a boy."

"The last time I checked, yes."

The voice sighed. "And here I thought I could find a hiding spot."

"Me too."

"You are hiding?" said the voice in disbelief. "There are tons of girls out there, you should be licking someone's tonsils."

"Maybe some guys," said Kurt. "But not for me. At least, I don't think so. I'm not really into the whole let's make out just this once whole spiel." He squirmed around to get comfortable. He had a feeling he'd be there for a while. And at least it was nice to have company.

"You want to wait to find the right person?" The voice seemed hopeful.

"I do," agreed Kurt. "I've grown up on old school romance movies."

"It's nice to know I'm not the only one," said the voice. "I thought no one liked the idea of courting or being chivalrous anymore."

"So says the girl in the closet," said Kurt with a bit of humor in his voice.

She sighed. "I shouldn't have come tonight."

"It is nice to have some company at least," said Kurt. She laughed softly.

"This is true. It is the most pleasant part of the evening so far."

"Brittany comes up with the weirdest of ideas, doesn't she?"

'It's not that bad," said the girl. "Although I don't approve of the tactics… I can see it's benefits. It's practice. An enjoyable practice, but practice nonetheless. And I'm sure the hormones don't help much either."

"I'm sure the hormones play the bigger part than the thought of 'practice'," said Kurt sarcastically.

"Well," said the voice. "Pretend you're on an elevator in the middle of Paris with the most beautiful girl you've ever seen. And it breaks down. You don't speak French, and she doesn't speak English. SO what other language is there besides the language of love?"

"Now you're making assumptions," said Kurt. "That I don't speak French, and that I prefer girls."

"Oh," said the voice, surprised. "You like boys then?"

"No, I think I do prefer girls, but I'm just putting holes into your plot."

The voice laughed at that.

"So you speak French then?"

"My Mother was French Canadian," said Kurt. "She taught me."

"Say something in French please."

"Pour une voix dans l'obscurité, vous semblez très jolie."

"You have a great voice," said the girl. "I wish I could see your lips. My grandmother was hard of hearing. So she lip-read. I learned from her. I'd love to see you speak." Kurt heard rustling and felt something touch his knee. He would have jumped, but he realized she was looking for him. In about two seconds, she had found his other knee and sat down in his lap.

Now this was… different.

"Since I don't think there's a closet light in here, I thought I'd come see you myself." She laughed. "Hi."

"You'll have to forgive me if I do something wrong," said Kurt. "I'm… I'm not used to girls in my lap."

"Which I don't understand. You seem so nice."

"Maybe I don't give off the right pheromones or something."

"I bet if you started speaking English with a French accent and threw a few random French words in there, they would be crawling all over you."

"Skip the crawling part," shuddered Kurt. "I don't think I'm into polyamory."

"Then one just to hold your hand?" teased the girl.

"That… might be nice," agreed Kurt. He was surprised by how not heavy the girl was. He had cousins in his lap many a time, but not a fellow teenager. She wasn't that much heavier than the kids.

"Then how about some practice?" She paused. "May I?"

"May you—-" Kurt began, but he felt her place a hand on his arm and felt her way down to his hand. He had to admit, her hand was soft and it was nice on top of his own. She picked it up and placed her hand in his. Kurt wrapped his fingers through hers.

"That feels nice," said the girl. "Your hand is warm."

"At least it isn't clammy and sweaty."

"I'm surprised mine isn't," she said. "I've never been this bold before. Sitting on a guy's lap, holding his hand…"

"It's the darkness," said Kurt. "It gives false courage."

"I thought that was alcohol," said the girl.

"That does work as well," said Kurt. He played with her fingers.

"Now who has courage?"

"Blame the darkness," said Kurt.

They sat together for a few moments, just enjoying each other's company. Kurt realized he was sitting on a trunk, not a suitcase or a plastic bin. He had wondered about that when this girl sat in his lap. He was almost surprised someone like her was at McKinley. She seemed awfully sweet and interesting. He wondered if she liked music.

He opened his mouth to say something, but instead of sound coming out, he felt a pair of fingers graze his lips.

"So soft," she said. Kurt wanted to say something about the girl being presumptuous about touching him intimately without his consent, but it felt good, almost electric. He wanted her to keep touching them. Though he didn't know where her hands had been or where she could put them. He blushed at the thoughts running through his head.

The next thing he knew, he felt her face not far from his.

"This maybe some of that false courage talking, but—" she began. Kurt thought he had the same idea as her, curiosity taking over. He pulled her closer around the waist and placed a hand on her face and neck. He calculated about where her mouth would be, and hesitantly brought his lips to hers. They both got caught up in the kiss, enjoying the sensation. It was very, very addictive Kurt thought as he nudged her even closer. He ran his tongue across her lips and she moaned. He pulled back at that, the sound had gone from his ears and automatically to his groin.

"Now I know why they call it heaven," said the girl, panting a little. She held onto his shoulders. He went to agree, but instead her lips meet his and they started kissing again.

* * *

Some time had passed and the party was starting to clear out. Santana had set the remaining gleeks at the party to open closets and chase the people out.

"I think that's everyone," said Matt with a wince as he accidentally kicked someone who had passed out as he came back into the living room. Puck was making out in the corner with a Cheerio. Quinn had fallen asleep on Finn, who looked a little annoyed at his lack of make out partner.

"Tina and Mercedes must have cleared out."

"Not surprised," said Santana, waving her hand dismissively. "What about Lady Lips and Man Hands? We can't have Mr. Schue coming down on our asses about his lead whiny ass vocalist disappearing."

"Haven't seen them," said Puck, looking up for a moment. "I think they've probably left already."

"No, Kurt's SUV is still out front," said Finn. "Saw it when we came downstairs."

"Then he decided to partake in the alcohol and is probably passed out somewhere," said Santana. "That'd be a _great _picture to pass around school."

"Was Kurt even drinking?" asked Matt.

"Who cares?" said Santana. "Is Britt and Mike still checking closets?"

"Yeah, I think they even went up to the attic."

"Come on Matt, let's go find them… and Kurt," said Santana, pulling on his arm. The boy had no choice by to follow.

They found Mike just as soon as they stepped out of the living room and past the kitchen to the stairwell. He was standing by a doorway.

"Brittany?" questioned Santana.

"Bathroom upstairs."

Santana nodded and headed up after her.

"Did anyone check that room behind you?" asked Matt to Mike.

Mike looked disturbed. He pointed to the door.

"You do _not_ want to go near that closet in there, believe me. I heard noises. I was waiting on Brittany."

Matt looked at Mike with a grin. "Let's go surprise them."

"Matt wait," said Mike. But his friend had already opened the door to the room and headed to the closet. He flipped on the light and jerked it open.

"Brittany's telling everyone to leave," said Matt. "So whoever you are…" Matt and Mike's jaws both dropped open in shock at the sight of Rachel in Kurt's arms. They both looked very disheveled, and the contents of the closet were all over the place.

"Would you mind?" said Rachel very irritably. She slammed the door on the both of them. Matt raised a finger towards the door and went to say something, but Mike broke in.

"We'll let Brittany take care of them."

"That sounds like a fantastic plan," said Matt. They both hightailed it out of the room.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Since it has been requested of me to add more to the story, here it goes. :)

* * *

When the door had opened, Kurt had to close his eyes against the bright light. He peeked and thought he saw brown hair when the girl had shut the door quickly. Had he heard Matt?

"The party's over," she said in a soft voice.

"I gathered that by the interruption," he said, shaking his head. He hadn't opened his eyes yet. He didn't want to, really. He was afraid the girl wouldn't be happy with seeing who she was making out with.

"Are you okay?" she asked Kurt.

"Fine," he said with a sigh. "Just the light is a little bright."

"I was wondering if you didn't want to see who I was."

"I was worried the same thing."

"I know who you are Kurt."

"At least one of us does." He paused for a moment and swallowed hard. "And you are okay with that?"

The girl leaned and kissed him. "I am okay with that. But I have a feeling you won't be with who I am."

"Why wouldn't I—"

"Open your eyes."

Kurt did so, and was met with the thin, round face of Rachel Berry looking apprehensive at him.

"Oh god," said Kurt. He had been making out in a dark closet at Brittany's house with _Rachel Berry_ of all people.

Rachel sighed. "I guess I should have left when Matt opened the closet instead of staying and saying something."

"No… no," said Kurt. "It's not that Rachel… I know we've been mean to you about… things. But you're actually sweet when you're not focused on singing and glee club. It's a little surprising."

"I should have known it was you by the way you spoke French," she responded. "You are always the best in class."

"Well, I do have a bit of an advantage over the rest of you."

"Your mother was smart to go ahead and teach you while you were young."

"Why aren't you like this during school?" asked Kurt. He ran a hand down her face. "It's been nice to talk to just you… Not your determination and dreams all the time."

"I… I'm not?" frowned Rachel. "I am me."

Kurt shook his head. "You don't show this. Not the girl who has a hard of hearing grandmother, can read lips, and finds courage in the dark."

"And thinks strangers should make out in elevators?"

"Yes. And we should probably get out of our make out closet," said Kurt.

"That would be the best plan at the present," agreed Rachel as she opened the door. They quickly straightened up the mess they had made in the closet and closed the door behind them. Kurt looked at Rachel to say something, but instead, put his hands on her hips and kissed her. It was soft and sweet, and Rachel closed her eyes in enjoyment. When she opened them again, Kurt was pulling away, a light blush of red in his cheeks.

"I'll peek my head out the door," said Rachel. "Do you want to go separately, or—"

"Might as well put up a united front," said Kurt. "It's not like… was it Mike or Matt who opened the door?"

"Matt, but Mike was behind him."

"It's not like either of them won't tell whoever is still here that they found us making out in closet."

Rachel nodded her in agreement.

"Are you… embarrassed by this?"

"No, at least your wardrobe isn't too horrendous today."

Rachel hung her head.

"I'm sorry," he said as he winced at his own words. "I shouldn't have said that."

"It's alright," said Rachel. "It's not like… it's not like we're actually friends or anything."

"We can talk about that," said Kurt. He had already turned around and missed Rachel's pleased face. Kurt opened the door to the bedroom carefully, expecting to be ambushed. But there was no one waiting and no one in the hallway. He and Rachel were surprised.

"Everyone's left," he whispered. "Brittany's probably upstairs."

"Let's get out of here," said Rachel. They walked out the front door and down into the yard. Kurt was relieved to see his vehicle still sitting on the street and nothing done to it. Rachel was looking down the street, clutching her purse to herself, like she was going to walk home. Kurt frowned at that, realizing for the first time that Rachel didn't have a car. He could drive her home at least, or—

"Would you like to come to my house?" said Kurt. "We could talk for a while. I made some fresh mango and orange popsicles."

"It would be preferential to going home to an empty house," agreed Rachel. "My dads are away on a business and an early weekend antiquing trip."

"Home it is then," said Kurt. A small smile escaped Rachel's notice as they climbed into the vehicle.

* * *

Burt Hummel heard his son come in the door. He was back a little earlier than expected, but then, Burt had been surprised when Kurt up out of the blue said he was going to a party. He was happy to see Kurt being more active and trying to be social. Kurt had said he had a couple of friends in some girls by the name of Tina and Mercedes in the Glee club. And ever since Burt had met Carole at a singles group, they had been trying to get their kids to be friends. Although since Finn had been one of his former bullies, it was a harder sell.

"Hey dad," said Kurt, sticking his head into the living room. "I'm home. You can stop worrying."

"Hello to you too son," said Burt. "Did you have a good evening?"

Kurt immediately thought of the way Rachel's hands had been on his chest and in his hair. The whole kissing for seven minutes had definitely progressed beyond that.

"It definitely wasn't boring," responded Kurt. "I think I'm going to go downstairs and do some… reading."

"Don't forget to actually sleep," grunted Burt. Kurt had his mother's bad habit of getting lost in a book.

"I won't," said Kurt. Burt noticed Kurt seemed a little nervous about something. Nervousness usually meant Kurt was up to something. He heard the front door open again. Burt pretended to be engrossed in the newspaper he was reading. When he heard a giggle and saw a flash of a girl's skirt, he nearly dropped the paper.

_Did his son just try to sneak a girl into his bedroom?_

"Never thought I'd see the day," chuckled Burt. He went back to actually reading the paper. He'd give Kurt just a few minutes to bask in his short lived glory before he'd bust him for thinking he'd get away with that trick.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Have a birthday present (okay, a fanfic chapter) on me. :)

* * *

Going downstairs and into a basement seemed like an odd place for a bedroom thought Rachel as she looked around. But Kurt's room felt very warm and comfortable. The walls while white with a grainy texture, matched well with all the dark wood pieces and navy blue bed covers and accents.

"Your bedroom is very nice," said Rachel. "I like all the wood and the blue."

Kurt nodded as she wandered around the room.

"Blue is one of my favorite colors," he said. "And I love the feel of wood versus anything else. My dad indulged me when I became a teenager by getting a craftsman at a local wood shop to do all the furniture and the ceiling beams."

"This is all original?" said Rachel, looking surprised.

"And cheaper than going to Ashley Furniture or wherever it is everyone gets their pre-made furniture these days," he said, waving his hand.

"It is good to support locally owned business." She sat down on the captain style bed after she had spoken. "I'm jealous of all your storage. And the dark wood is just beautiful."

"Much better than the white furniture in Brittany's place."

"It was definitely different," agreed Rachel. "I felt like I was back in the 70's."

"Could be how old it was," said Kurt as he sat down in his desk chair.

"Maybe," Rachel said. "Kurt, did you... I mean..."

"Did I like being in the closet with you?" said Kurt, finishing her thought, giving her a look.

Rachel nodded, lowering her head.

"It was... enjoyable and surprising," said Kurt. "I know we didn't talk about it in the SUV, but..."

"It's alright," said Rachel, shaking her head. "We discussed music, which was a high enjoyable conversation about Soundheim and the impact on modern revivals." She paused. "So you're not put off by me?" She looked down. "Most everyone else is."

"You're fine," said Kurt complacently. "At least... the girl I met in the closet is and she's standing in front of me. It took me a few minutes to reconcile the two, but I know you are her."

"I am me," Rachel said simply. "But the Rachel you know from class and Glee club is me too."

"I know," said Kurt. "And I know I'm probably not what you're expecting either."

"You are a nice person when you're not so abrasive about my ambition."

Kurt sighed. "We're all ambitious. You'd be surprised at that if you'd let people see you for you and take the time to get to know them."

Rachel nodded, fiddling with her hair. Kurt decided to lighten the mood with a joke.

"So are my lips any better in the light?" A smirk graced his lips once Rachel looked up. She started to giggle.

"You do speak well and enunciate your words," she said with a nod. "My grandmother would be able to understand you."

Kurt came over and sat down beside her on the bed. "Well, that's good at least. I wouldn't want my 'Hello, how are you?' to be 'Mellow are your spoons' or something."

Rachel laughed, shaking her head. "Kurt it isn't _that_ bad. You can usually guess what they are saying based on context if you can understand some of the words."

"Oh I don't know. I though 'May your spoons be mellow' sounds like a fun greeting."

"Only you," she said with a smile. "You are a bit more silly when we're not in school."

"It's all the melodrama," said Kurt, waving his hand. "It tends to sap out all the comedy."

"Would it be alright to kiss you?" asked Rachel. "Because right now I'd really like to."

He looked at her, uncertain for a second. "I'd like that, I think," said Kurt. She pressed her lips to Kurt's, who responded in return. Kurt had placed his hands on the bed, and Rachel placed hers over his. They changed positions to pull closer, and Rachel pulled on Kurt's shirt by accident. This caught Kurt's attention and he laughed. So did Rachel after a few seconds, still holding onto his clothes. They rested their foreheads against each other.

"I don't think we're going to make it as friends, however," Kurt said softly.

"I think... I think I like you," said Rachel. "That sounds odd, doesn't it? Coming from me at least. We haven't had the best of starts."

"Maybe..." agreed Kurt. "But I think I like the idea of you holding my hand... even if it was false courage at first."

Rachel squeezed his hand with a half smile.

"Hey Kurt," said the voice of Burt Hummel as he came down the stairs. "Have you seen my spare truck keys? I can't find them anyw- Oh. Hello."

"Dad!" said Kurt quickly, standing. He immediately looked guilty. "I can explain..."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Hummel," said Rachel, standing up and walking over to Burt. "Rachel Berry."

"I think the pleasure is mine," said Burt with a smile at Rachel. He eyed his son sternly. "Kurt..."

"I know," he said, trying to avoid his father's gaze. "I um..."

"Next time you bring someone home, the least you could do is introduce me to your friends," said Burt.

"Sorry Dad," said Kurt. "I wasn't thinking."

"I can see that," said Burt. He looked amused. "She's cute, I can see why you were distracted."

Rachel laughed at that, putting her hands over her mouth. Kurt crossed his arms with a glare at his Dad.

"Your spares are in the glass bowl up above the kitchen sink. Where they _usually_ are."

"I'll just have to look again. I didn't see them," said Burt, giving a small sigh and a wink at Rachel.

"I don't think you looked there the first time," said Kurt, looking skeptical.

"You just make sure this little lady gets home safe," said Burt, shaking a finger at Kurt. "No funny business."

Kurt nodded, his face and neck red. Burt headed back up the stairs, but didn't close the door like Kurt had. Rachel wanted to say something, but Kurt put a hand on her shoulder until they no longer heard footsteps. Kurt sat down on the bed, putting his head in his hands.

"Oh god, I can't believe that just happened."

"And here you thought your dad wouldn't catch us," she said, looking at the stairway. "He's probably going to think the worst of me now."

"I don't think he will Rachel. I think my dad's in shock that I even tried anything daring. I usually stay out of trouble."

"As do I," said Rachel. "I'm pretty squeaky clean, although there was that time I did pull Sarah Kinsey's bow out of her hair when I was eight because she said I couldn't wear a braid like her." She sat down beside him. "It was funny that he needed his spares this late at night."

"He didn't. He must have saw you somehow. He knows exactly where his spare keys are." Kurt moved around to get comfortable, crossing his legs and put his hands on top of them. "He can't fool me like that. I know better."

"Dads are good at figuring out that we're doing something wrong," said Rachel with a smile. She reached over and pinched Kurt's cheek. "I think you need one of those popsicles. You are blushing hard."

"I guess I really wasn't thinking," said Kurt, looking at the floor. "I- wanted to talk to you for a while."

"Well, we can talk," said Rachel. "We have time."

* * *

"Are you serious?" exclaimed Quinn as she slammed her locker shut the next morning before homeroom. Santana and Brittany was standing beside her, leaning against the metal.

"Mike and Matt both confirmed it. They were making out in the closet in the spare bedroom."

"I don't believe it. Kurt's..." said Quinn. She dropped her tone in the crowded hallway. "G_ay_. Like Capital G gay_. Everyone_ knows that."

"Maybe Rachel's hiding a little something something behind that skirt," smirked Santana.

"No, she's got to be up to something," said Quinn, thinking. She frowned. "Maybe she thinks if it gets out that she's dating Kurt... it'll put all our guards down and she can get to Finn. You know she just wants to put her claws in him."

"Well, of course, she's been staring at him since Glee club started," said Santana.

"Or maybe she thinks that since Kurt's dad and Finn's mom are dating, she can get Kurt to get her in closer to him," said Quinn, putting a hand over her mouth as she thought. "I bet anything she thinks she can get at him after school somehow."

"Or maybe she does like Kurt," said Brittany, twirling her ponytail. "Kurt is really nice when you get to know him."

"Hardly," said Quinn. "Kurt's so fashion forward and Rachel dresses off the children's clearance rack. There's no way they'd ever like each other."

"Maybe he's planning a hostile makeover," said Santana cheekily, sharing a grin with Brittany.

"She's got to be planning something," said Quinn, brushing off the comment. "And I think I see how we can find out."

Quinn spied two people walking in the door. She looked at Santana, who nodded. Tina and Mercedes were walking in very slowly. They didn't look well at all, wearing sunglasses inside and stumbling slightly.

"Looks like you had fun at Brittany's party last night," said Quinn to Tina and Mercedes. They stopped after she had spoke.

"I think we had too much of that margarita stuff," said Tina with a wince. "Is it always that bright in here?"

"Oh how quaint," said Santana. "They're having their first hangover."

"It was fun for a little while," said Mercedes as she peeked out from under her sunglasses. "Thank you Brittany." The blonde cheerleader perked up at that, smiling back at the comment.

"Sounds like you two had as much fun as your best friend Kurt did last night," said Santana, eyeing Quinn, who nodded at Santana's bait and hook.

"Oh yeah, sitting and waiting on Finn so he could drive his drunk ass home," Mercedes said with a sniff.

"No, _I_ drove my boyfriend home," said Quinn. "But I heard Kurt did take a cute little brunette home from the party."

"Wait, what?" said Tina. "Cute little-"

"Brunette?" repeated Mercedes. "You don't mean..."

Santana looked smug. "Oh we do. Your boy was taking a _girl_ home last night."

"Who?" asked Tina. "Because Kurt wasn't talking to anyone except us for most of the night."

"Why don't you ask him?" said Quinn. The bell rang. "Gotta run. See you at Glee club later." The trio of cheerleaders walked off. Santana gave Quinn a high five as Brittany waved to the two left behind.

"You really think Kurt found someone?" asked Tina. "Come to think of it, he never did text us back any last night."

"I don't know," frowned Mercedes. The bell was still ringing in her ears and it was just making her even more grumpy. "Knowing those three, they're probably just trying to stir up some gossip. Kurt probably just gave someone a ride home because they were too drunk or something."

* * *

Rachel was in a good mood when she got to school. She and Kurt had talked for a long time the night before. She had to admit, she kind of liked him. She definitely liked kissing him. But she could tell their quasi relationship friendship was definitely going to have its ups and downs. They both definitely were larger than life personalities.

He was really good at making her smile and laugh, which she really liked.

Was it normal to develop feelings for someone after kissing and talking for a few hours?

At least Kurt didn't come with relationship baggage, which was nice. She wouldn't have to cry about it to her therapist. Rachel was happy that she'd have something positive to tell at her weekly appointments. She stopped in the hallway for a second, surprised that she hadn't even thought of Finn all morning. She hurried up quickly to keep from being run over by her fellow high schoolers. She saw Kurt standing by a classroom, looking down at his phone.

"Okay," she said to herself. "Play it cool." But instead of doing so she accidentally ran right into someone opening their locker. She winced at the pain. The boy apologized, but Rachel rubbed her knee with a wince. She was still rubbing her knee when Kurt looked up. He noticed her, and she gave him a small wave as she hobbled for a second towards him.

"Ah, the old running into the locker gag," he said, giving her a small smile. "Trying to garner sympathy?"

"No, but you can hold my things for a moment," said Rachel, handing him her purse and biology book and notebook. She leaned down and checked her stockings. Thankfully they had not caught on the locker's edge.

"Thank you," she said as she took them back.

"You look cute today," he commented. "I like the off white turtleneck sweater and your dark blue plaid skirt."

"Well, since you do like blue," she said. "I thought it'd be a nice change."

"You dressed for me?" he said, surprised.

"Well, you are a perspective... whatever we are... So I wanted to look nice. You have high standards when it comes to clothing."

"Does everyone at school really think I am gay because of that?" blurted out Kurt.

"I think most people think you are," said Rachel, biting her lip. They hadn't broached this topic yet, but she knew it was inevitable. It was actually one of the things she was afraid of. "But it's mostly that you wear clothes in one day that cost more than the average high school student's entire wardrobe."

"I like to look nice," he said with a slight frown. "If you can't wear nice things for yourself, then what is the point?"

Rachel thought for a split second that comment might have been directed to her, but realized it wasn't.

"It's perspective," said Rachel. "That's all it is Kurt. You like clothes and you are conscious of your appearance. The only thing they can link that to is the stereotypes that are on TV and other media. So liking clothes and dressing in something other than t-shirts and jeans equals gay in their minds."

"I don't like labels and stereotypes," muttered Kurt. "It's too conforming."

Rachel could only nod in agreement. But then, she had done that herself. She would have written off Kurt as gay yesterday if someone had asked her. She nudged him in the shoulder. He looked at her, shrugging his shoulders. He looked off in the distance before speaking.

"Even when you're _different_ around here and can't be easily defined, people still want to put you into a box and label you so it makes you easier to deal with or judge you," he said quietly.

"Nobody that's important to you is going to judge you on the choices you make," said Rachel. "They'll accept you as you are. Because that's what they are supposed to do. Not judging, not labeling."

He mumbled something under his breath and Rachel rubbed his arm. He moved away from her quickly. She sighed. She should have expected this. She knew last night was too good to be true. When she heard the splattering of slushie hitting the lockers beside her, she saw what he was doing. The football player was scowling, but thankfully Kurt had managed to avoid the orange slush that had been aimed right at him.

"You were saying?" he said as he flicked a piece of orange colored ice off his messenger style bag.

"Our peers don't count," said Rachel. "They're just jealous and insecure. We are better than them."

The bell rang for class and Rachel started towards him, and idea in mind. She looped her arm around his waist as she caressed his face with her other hand. She kissed him softly right there in the middle of the hallway while the student body milled around them, heading to their next class.

"Let's see them judge you for that," she said with a smirk, holding her books to her. And with a wave, she left his side and headed to her first class. Kurt stood dumb founded for a moment at what had just happened. But his first class was American literature, which was on the third floor. He darted towards the stairs.

Finn Hudson stood in the hallway, not far from where the scene had taken place, looking very confused.


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Hope you enjoy. Thanks to everyone who's left reviews. :)

* * *

Kurt hadn't looked at his phone all morning, but come lunch, he had turned it on and saw he had messages from Mercedes and Tina both. He was typing out responses as he neared the lunchroom. He felt a strong arm go around his shoulders and a fist against his cheek as he was pulled down a quiet hallway. When they had stopped, he looked over to his left and saw Noah Puckerman leaning his head to the side, appraising him. Kurt groaned.

"If you're going to throw me in the dumpster Puck, do it now so I'll have time to change before class."

Noah popped his piece of gum. "Nah, I need information. So is it true?"

"Is what true?" asked Kurt, cautiously.

"Look, I heard from my boy Mike this morning that you were totally banging my Jewish sister."

"You have a Jewish sister?" asked Kurt, mystified. He hadn't even known Puck was Jewish.

Puck rolled his eyes. "Rachel. You did know she was Jewish, right? We stick together."

"I did, yes."

"So... it's true then."

Kurt sighed. He knew this was starting soon, but he hadn't expected to at least Glee club that afternoon when everyone would jump them at once.

"Rachel and I spent some time together, and I think I might like her. But there is no... whatever it was you said," said Kurt, shaking his head. "Look, it's all a little confusing at this point."

"Girls are always confusing," nodded Puck. "Santana broke up with me because of my credit score. I don't even know what a credit score is." He let go of Kurt, who was relieved that he wasn't going to be put into a dumpster during lunch.

"I'll take a rain check on the dumpster," said Puck with a smirk as he headed away from Kurt. He would have never believed _Puck_ of all people would be the first to question him on the nature of his relationship with Rachel. In a way, it was kind of... refreshing. At least Puck hadn't been mean to him about it. He decided to avoid the lunchroom for the day and went and found a quiet spot and started to text Mercedes and Tina back.

* * *

Rachel looked for Kurt at lunch, but didn't see him. He wasn't even sitting with Artie, Tina, and Mercedes. She checked her phone while waiting to pay for her bottle of juice. She smiled at the text he sent her. Kurt wanted her to join him. He had sent her a picture of the auditorium seats and Rachel paid for her drink. She started back out of the lunchroom and towards the main building.

"Huh, I wonder where Rachel's going," said Artie. "She has been sitting with us lately."

"Maybe she's got some homework to do," shrugged Tina. "The party did last for a while last night."

"Rachel was there?" said Mercedes. "I didn't even notice."

"That's because you two partied hard without me," said Artie grumpily.

"We'll make you some strawberry margarita mix so you can enjoy being hung over," muttered Mercedes.

"No thanks," said Artie. "I think I'm more of the bloody mary type. I like my tomatoes and salt."

"I know. You bury your fries in ketchup," said Tina, her brow furrowing as if in thought. "Mercedes, Rachel's a brunette."

"Oh please," said Mercedes, rolling her eyes. "Like Kurt would do anything for Rachel. Don't listen to Quinn and Santana."

"Tina could be right though," said Artie, popping a french fry into his mouth. "Kurt probably wouldn't leave Rachel to fend for herself if he thought she needed help of some type. She's still a part of our club."

"Maybe," frowned Mercedes. "And Finn was probably all over Quinn at the party. He may have took pity on her and offered her a ride home just to have something to do."

"And as usual, Quinn and Santana are blowing things out of proportion," said Artie. "Just to cause a controversy."

"You know, I still am curious as to where she's going," said Tina. "It's not like Rachel to not follow the lunch hour rules."

"Like we all haven't broken the rules at some point," said Mercedes.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" said Artie. "Let's follow her. I'm up for some sleuthing."

* * *

Rachel sat down beside Kurt in the auditorium where he was sitting there with his legs crossed. A small brown bag was laying on top of his boot. An egg salad sandwich lay half eaten as he was watching a video on his phone. He nodded at her presence and started putting it away. She smiled at the gesture. At least he wasn't going to ignore her being there.

"Hey," she said. "This is a nice quiet spot for lunch."

"I decided it was better than dealing with the others," said Kurt. "Tina and Mercedes have both texted me wondering where I was last night, and Puck confronted me about, well as he put it, 'totally banging his Jewish sister.'"

Rachel couldn't help but laugh at that, blushing at the thought.

"Don't mind Puck. I think he likes the idea of having someone to look out for."

"Well, at least he was nice about it," said Kurt. "And he didn't threaten me with physical harm this time. It was an improvement over our usual meetings."

Rachel nodded absently as she started to unpack her lunch. Sometimes it still bothered her to think that Puck and Finn had used to partake in the bullying that went on at McKinley. Her little compartmentalized lunchbox made Kurt do a double take.

"That looks pretty good," said Kurt. "What is it?"

"Crispy stir fried tofu with broccoli and carrots," said Rachel. "It has ginger, garlic, and scallions. And some jasmine rice. They're leftovers from dinner. I didn't have much time to prepare lunch this morning."

"I wish I could get my dad to eat like that," said Kurt, sitting back in his seat. "But I doubt he'd ever even touch tofu."

"It's delicious when done properly," said Rachel. "Maybe you could."

"Someday," said Kurt. He wrinkled his nose. "My dad is the beer and hamburger sort."

Rachel let it slide and she opened her container of orange juice she had bought in the lunchroom. At least Kurt's dietary habits seemed on the cautious side. His egg salad looked appealing. It didn't seem to have too much mayo and there was green leafy lettuce along with onion along with some apple slices and cheese in a bag next to him on the seat. They ate in silence for a few minutes, knowing it wouldn't be that far off before the bell would ring for their afternoon classes.

"Kurt, what are we?" asked Rachel as she speared a piece of broccoli with her fork. She held her fork up as she turned to look at him. He surprised her when he stole the broccoli off her fork. She laughed when he stuck it in his mouth.

"Well, I just stole part of your lunch, so that should be a hint."

"So you're my broccoli thief?"

"Seriously, who cooks in your household?" said Kurt, moaning softly. "I think I need to be adopted."

Rachel laughed at that. "I don't think Nana would like to have any more kids. Dad is enough."

"Your grandmother cooks for your family?" asked Kurt.

"Yes," said Rachel. "I think I need to invite you over tonight. She's coming to help cook some stuff for the weekend since my dads aren't here."

"So a dinner date then."

Rachel's heart skipped happily at the thought.

"I think Nana will like you," said Rachel. She picked up a piece of the tofu. "Here, try this and see if you like it." Kurt took the piece out of her fingers.

"I like it. Very crispy." He put his over his mouth while he chewed.

"You don't have to be modest Kurt. I think it's okay if I see you chewing."

"Bad habit," he said, pulling out some paper napkins from his bag. He offered Rachel one.

"Thank you. I can never remember to grab a paper towel or anything when I'm making my lunch," she said as she took it, wiping her hands. She finished off the rest of her drink before putting her lunchbox back into her bag. She reached for her compact and lipstick in her purse as Kurt checked the time on his phone.

"We've got about five minutes," he said as he put it back in his pocket.

"You want to talk or…" began Rachel.

"I'd like to talk for a minute," said Kurt. "I know it's been only about maybe 15 hours now and you've been really great, which is surprising. But I guess I'm wondering what are you getting out of this? You like boys like Finn... not exactly me."

"I do like Finn. He's strong and a quite capable leader," said Rachel. She pulled at the front of her hair, running it through her fingers. "But he's not quite there when it comes to being relatable. We don't exactly like the same type of things. You at least, can relate to wanting to get out of Lima and being in a place like New York where there's life and theatre and people... I don't think Finn deep down in his heart does."

Kurt nodded, keeping his head down.

"And you?" asked Rachel. "Please tell me I'm not an experiment."

"No," said Kurt. "I think… this is hard, considering it's you… but I think I do like you. Although I am not sure how much I'm ready for this to be out there yet."

"May I ask why?" said Rachel.

"Have you seriously not thought about the names they'll call us yet? The King and Queen of Gaydom? The jokes that you're my beard? Or worse? I mean, I know you've heard your fair share of lesbian jokes."

"There have been a few of those jokes thrown my way," said Rachel. "It's all stupid... pigheaded people who want to bring us down to their level. That it makes them feel better somehow. But it's all voices on the wind blowing hot air. A few brief seconds and it's gone."

"Just seems like those brief seconds last forever," said Kurt with a sigh.

Rachel reached over and hugged Kurt. Not just a brief, sympathy hug. But a long and tight, I need you to feel me sort of hug. He sighed and relaxed, which made Rachel feel better. She gave him a sympathy smile.

"Not what you were expecting from Rachel Berry, was it?"

"I was kind of hoping for something else," he said lightly, giving her a smirk.

"You boys," she said with a scoff, straightening her skirt.

"Kissing is nice," he said, though he looked unsure of what he was admitting to. "It was better than I thought it would be."

"While that is true, I just ate garlic and ginger," said Rachel. "It's not-"

But Kurt pulled her closer and she leaned into him as they kissed.

* * *

Back behind Kurt and Rachel's seated position in the auditorium, a trio of people were watching them from up on one of the balconies. They had followed Rachel from the lunchroom, and were surprised that she had met up with Kurt there. They were sitting there talking, and Rachel was smiling. Kurt seemed calm in her presence, even though it was Rachel Berry of all people sitting next to him.

"What do you think they're talking about?" asked Tina.

"Something about food," said Artie. "I can't hear very well from up here."

"Me either," said Mercedes. "But if she thinks she can steal our best friend away from us…"

"Um Mercedes," began Artie. "I think Kurt can have as many friends as he wants. We don't get to decide for him."

"And it's not like Rachel has any," said Tina. "Maybe they started talking last night at the party and hit it off."

"I still don't like it," grumbled Mercedes.

"Well, you're not going to like them sharing food either," said Tina, dangling her feet off the edge as she pointed down to the pair. Mercedes sighed and sat down beside her.

"Maybe they are becoming friends."

"I think it's good for all of us to be friends in some way," shrugged Artie. "We can bond as a club."

"Especially all of us," agreed Mercedes. "We've got to band together against the cheerleaders and the football players."

"They're not all bad," said Tina. "Mike's cute."

"Matt isn't too bad either," said Artie. "He told me that he likes the Jazz Band."

"They're packing up," said Mercedes.

"Yeah, it's almost time to go back to class," said Artie, checking his watch. "We probably need to get going too, especially with that lift..."

"Whoa," said Tina as she watched Rachel give Kurt a hug.

"Something the matter with a hug?" asked Artie, looking at Tina.

"No, it's just… I didn't think Kurt was the affectionate type."

"Well, Rachel seems to be. Maybe she's a hugger."

"And Kurt's enjoying it," said Mercedes. "He-"

But before Mercedes could even finish what she was saying, both Artie and Tina slammed hands over Mercedes' mouth. They all three watched as Kurt pulled Rachel closer to him and kissed her.

And kissed.

And kissed again.

They went back in for another one, but the bell rung. They lingered for a moment as Rachel caressed Kurt's face. They gathered their things quickly and headed out of the auditorium.

Up on the balcony, Tina was holding Mercedes down by the shoulders and Artie was barely hanging on to keeping her quiet. Once the door had shut, they both let her go.

"Oh hell no!" said Mercedes. "She—he-"

"They were kissing," said Tina. "Kurt was kissing Rachel. _Ew_."

"Ew?" said Artie. "I mean its Rachel, but aren't you being a little judgmental?"

"But Kurt… he's gay right?" asked Tina.

Mercedes shook her head. "Kurt has never said. But I mean… look at him."

"So?" said Artie. "He likes nice jackets and scarves. And weird… hats."

"But he doesn't dress like say Finn and Puck do."

"I don't dress like Finn and Puck do," said Artie. "Does that mean I'm gay?"

"Well no," said Tina.

"Then why does it mean Kurt is?" said Artie.

"Shouldn't we be going to class?" asked Mercedes.

"It doesn't," said Tina with a sigh. She looked down at her combat boots. "I guess we all thought Kurt was. Especially after he turned Mercedes down."

"Maybe he likes Rachel," said Artie. "I mean, while she has her dramatic storm outs, she's very fierce and quite capable at getting what she wants."

"Which at the moment is Kurt," said Tina, pulling her feet back up to tie her shoes.

"With those kisses, I'd say they were about 50/50," Artie said. "Maybe they realized they had some chemistry."

"But doesn't Rachel really like Finn though?" asked Mercedes.

Artie shrugged. "Maybe she doesn't anymore."

"Okay plan," said Tina. She pushed her blue tinged hair behind her shoulders. "While I think Quinn really wants us to do something… which probably means some sort of sabotage, I don't think we should."

"What makes you think she does?" asked Mercedes. "She's probably just after gossip."

"Either way," said Tina. "I think…" She paused. "I think we should let Kurt have the right to chose what he wants. With as much as we know, they could have been keeping this a secret for some time. And they just got caught when one of them saw Kurt taking Rachel home from the party."

"So you think they've been in a relationship?" said Artie, giving Tina a strange look. "What crack have you been smoking? And where can I get some to sell?"

"Artie," said Tina with a warning tone. Mercedes laughed at the look she was giving him. He shrugged it off, looking smug. Tina rolled her eyes.

"I'm just saying," said Tina. "I think we should let them be. It's obvious… whatever they are… they're being quiet about it."

"I can see why they might want to play it safe," said Artie. "Things tend to get over-dramatic around here."

They both looked at Mercedes. She glared back at them.

"Look, I know sometimes it comes off like I try to own Kurt…" She sighed at her words. "I guess it's just hard when you just have that one friend. And we just found each other."

"I think we can all sympathize," said Tina. "Artie's my one friend too."

"Same here chica," said Artie.

"So yeah, I think we should sort of… protect Kurt and Rachel for the time being," said Tina. "Just till maybe they can figure things out. We don't have to tell Quinn and Santana a thing."


End file.
